Ice fishers out despite dangerous conditions

WINNIPEG – Rapidly melting ice is not enough to stop many Manitobans from ice fishing.

Hundreds of fishers are soaking up the cooler temperatures by hitting the ice first thing in the morning before the season ends March 31st.

“We actually heard a bunch of cracks when we were out… but we felt safe,” said ice fisherman Duncan Platz.

With recent above seasonal temperatures, the Winnipeg Fire Department says ice fishing on lakes and rivers is dangerous right now.

“You don’t know how deep that water is, some areas are shallower, some areas are deeper,” said Marcel Gauthier of the Winnipeg Fire Department. “You may be in 20 feet of water and not know that now your truck is below the ice level and you can’t get out.”

Fire crews are constantly doing water rescue training to prepare for the worst.

“People want to go ice fishing, they want to bring their kids out, it can be a problem,” said Gauthier.

And while many ice fishing guides are fully booked with trips out on the water, they are making changes for safety.

“We’re on the ice every single day… but now it’s kind of, we’ve stopped taking trucks on the ice and we’re taking quads,” said Blackwater Cats outfitter Donovan Pearase.

But in case you do fall through the ice.

“My mother’s always told me to when I’m on the ice… have the windows on and your seat belt off and just go out the window if you go through,” said Platz.